Marchand, Kelly shift focus to Gov. Sununu

Wednesday

Aug 29, 2018 at 10:25 PMAug 29, 2018 at 10:25 PM

Paul Steinhauser, news@seacoastonline.com

PORTSMOUTH — The two Democrats running for governor took aim at Republican Gov. Chris Sununu and gently traded barbs with each other as they faced off in front of city voters with less than two weeks to go until the state’s Sept. 11 primary

The candidates – former state Sen. Molly Kelly of Harrisville and former Portsmouth Mayor Steve Marchand – also covered some new ground as they took part Wednesday night in a gubernatorial forum organized by the Portsmouth Democrats and held at the city’s public library.

Kelly quickly teed off on the governor, who’s running this year for a second two-year term steering the state. In her opening statement Kelly reiterated her support for a paid family medical leave bill and criticized Sununu for referring to the measure as “vacation” at a forum earlier this week.

“It’s not a vacation. It’s about being with a newborn. It’s about taking care of your elderly parents when they need you and it’s about taking care of one of your children when it’s in critical care,” she said. “Chris Sununu is out of touch with the working families of New Hampshire. I understand those struggles because I lived them.”

Sununu supported the concept of paid family and medical leave when he ran for governor in 2016. But after a bill passed the state House of Representatives multiple times this year, it was killed in the state Senate after the governor came out against the measure. Sununu opposed the bill because of concerns that provisions to opt out of the program were too cumbersome and that the plan should be voluntary.

Marchand targeted Sununu for his forming this week of a commission to study pushing back the start of the public school year until after Labor Day and for his successful move on social media to convince Market Basket to stop putting the price stickers on the supermarket chain’s deli cheese and meat plastic packages over the zip-lock tops of the bags.

Marchand said he was recently at a conference on public education in Claremont and added “let me tell you what they didn’t talk about –where you put the sticker on a bag of deli meat at Market Basket. They didn’t talk about when the school year started, before Labor Day or after Labor Day. At a time when our governor is talking about small things, the world is on fire.”

Kelly and Marchand also criticized Sununu over his veto this summer of two bills that would have aided the renewable energy industry and his signing into law of a bill that eliminated the license needed to carry a concealed weapon and two measures tightening the state’s voter eligibility standards.

While the forum was the sixth time this summer the two candidates shared the same stage, it appeared to cover some fresh topics.

Both candidates said they’d oppose a move by the legislature to consider legalizing the establishment of casino gaming facilities.

Marchand said “leaning on casinos in any form is a lousy idea,” adding that “the party of the future is not going to lean on gambling in order to fund the services that make New Hampshire what it is today.”

Kelly said “I would not support that legislation,” and she added that “the casino issue is in the past.”

Kelly and Marchand also passed on pandering to Seacoast voters. Asked if it’s fair that the bulk of the meals and rooms taxes collected in Portsmouth should be going to the state instead of staying in the city, neither candidate advocated for a change in the current equation.

Sununu currently enjoys strong poll numbers as he runs for re-election. Asked their strategy to defeat the Republican governor in November’s election, Kelly touted that she outraised the governor in the most recent fundraising period, adding that “I think that’s an indication that people are behind me in this campaign.”

Marchand, who trails far behind Kelly when it comes to campaign cash, responded that “the metric I’m using is not money.”

Pointing to then-former state Sen. Maggie Hassan’s successful 2012 run for governor, he highlighted that “Hassan had less than $10,000 cash on hand after primary day “

And he appeared to criticize Kelly’s strategy of targeting Sununu, saying “I also don’t spend all of my time telling you why Chris Sununu is a bad governor.”

When it came to which New Hampshire politician has had the greatest influence on their political philosophy, Kelly said “Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. No question.”

Kelly, who was endorsed by New Hampshire’s senior U.S. senator and former three-term governor, explained that “I have learned so much from Jeanne Shaheen. She has opened so many doors for so many of us. I don’t know if I could be here today without her opening the doors for so many women.”

Marchand pointed to former four-term Gov. John Lynch, sharing that Lynch told him “if you love people, being governor of the state of New Hampshire is the best job ever.”

He also pointed to Portsmouth Mayor Jack Blalock, saying “I love his style, his deep affection for people.”

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